Hopeful
by Farai V1
Summary: Life can be cruel. Ami is one person that could contest to that statement. She never would have thought she would lose everything in one night...but gain something important. Why doesn't she go to the Academy anymore, and why on Earth is she living in Naruto's apartment? Find out. This is a three-shot. Art was made by me. If you have requests, PM me.


_**I haven't seen many Naruto/Ami romances that really provoked any feels from me. I'm not saying that I'm any better but I decided to give it a shot. This three-shot is actually before Shippuden. It was just withering on my computer and I just decided to post it up. If you enjoy, then a word of thanks is much appreciated! Remember, so you don't get confused,**_ **the flashback(s) are Ami's POV.**

 _ **Note: The Cover Pic was made by me (among others). If you don't see the Naruto drawing I made, you'll see it soon. It was one of the first few digital artworks I created. Not sure if anyone's interested, but I'm also willing to do artwork for you (not sure if I'll charge anything yet since I'm starting out). So, yeah, I'm basically advertising myself.**_

 _ **Anyways, enjoy!**_

* * *

The sun rose perilously in the far distance of Konohagakure, donating the Hokage Monument that watched over the village in monotonous awe. Rays of a variety of colours splattered the sky in a canvas-like scenery. It looked beautiful, magical.

The villagers were starting to rise from their initial slumber, making for their aspired jobs and important destinations. Shinobi and Kunoichi alike, that weren't on night duty, were tending to their own required tasks. Students that were still in training were rising in the hundreds for another day at the Academy.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Today looked like any other.

In a small apartment building, near the poor districts, a blonde knucklehead was sleeping soundly. His snores were humorous, echoing throughout the room in careless wonder. It looked like the place was empty except for himself.

Creeks of metal grinding against wood resonated in the boy's room, growing louder as seconds passed.

"Naruto-kun, get up."

The aforementioned kid continued his well-deserved slumber, muttering a weak 'Believe it' as a response.

There was a loud sigh and then…

"Wake up!"

Naruto yelped, bolting from his bed and standing up like a seasoned soldier.

He looked around rapidly. After coming to his senses, his eyes got lazy. He rubbed them and moaned in annoyance.

"Damnit, Ami-chan, would it kill you not to scare me like that in the morning?"

"I tried to be gentle, but you weren't listening…Sorry."

"It's okay," he yawned and rubbed his eyes, "I know you mean well."

He took a good look at her. She looked quite the opposite from the big-headed girl in his early years. Her face was cute and round. Her purple hair was long and went near her shoulders.

He stared into her brown eyes. It was so long ago when they stared back at him in scorn. Now, however, they were brighter, more open, for him to see that she wasn't the same immature brat that used to call him a demon.

There was a very good reason why they seemed comfortable around each other, but nothing worth easy explanations.

He tried his best, but his eyes briefly strayed downwards. He flashed back to her gaze again, hoping she didn't notice, but even he wasn't fast enough.

Her eyes turned sad for just a moment, but he was able to catch it, and felt like strangling himself.

"Well…come along, breakfast is ready," she said, tender and not biting.

She left the room, rolling the wheels of her wheelchair in practiced exercise.

He waited for her to leave the bedroom, and when she did, he grabbed his hair and pulled it.

"You idiot! Now things are going to be so awkward…"

"Naruto-kun!"

"I-I'm coming!"

He rushed to his little dining area, finding food already waiting for him.

It didn't stop him from sulking.

"Oh my god. Where's my ramen?!"

"You had ramen _yesterday,_ " she defended. "So don't try to _weasel_ your way out of a healthy meal!"

She peered at him, daring him to argue.

He had on a number of occasion, but failed _every time_. It would be pointless getting into it with her. She had her ways of winning, even if some of them were dirty.

"Sit down, Naruto-kun, and let's eat."

He sat opposite her, and decided to get to what he wanted to say.

"Ami-chan, you shouldn't keep making me breakfast all the time. You should allow yourself time to rest and let me deal with it."

"It's fine!" she chirped, her genuine smile squinting her eyes. "I like cooking for you!"

Naruto wasn't in the same cheery mood, though. He leveled her a look. "Ami-chan, you do _everything_ in this place. You cook, you clean, and you even shop for groceries! All I do is go to the Training grounds, train and come home. That's not fair to you. Let me help!"

She gave him a loving look and tried not to blush too hard. If someone had ever told her that she would be living under the same roof as the Dead-last Loser _and_ fall in love with him, she might not have believed them in the past. But that's exactly what had happened, and she had no regrets about it.

Of course, losing the feeling to her legs would always be something touchy to her, but she didn't blame him. The villagers went too far, and they both suffered.

She wiggled in her wheelchair, and saw Naruto beginning to worry.

"Ami-ch-"

"I'm fine, just getting comfortable," she said easily. And also decided to answer his request. "Listen, Naruto-kun, I do these things because I _want_ to. You work so hard and train yourself to exhaustion most of the time. You don't need extra baggage when you get home."

"…Yeah, but-"

"Remember what I said before? I want you to come home in one piece and feel welcomed and warm. I want you to say, 'I'm home!' without sounding like a corpse, and I'd say, 'Welcome home.'"

Naruto kept silent, knowing she wasn't finished.

Ami closed her eyes briefly. Once she opened them again, she let herself lose reality in his gaze.

"I already told you that I'm in love with you, Naruto-kun, and this is my way of showing it."

Naruto blushed and kept to himself. He had no idea how to reply to a confession of love from someone so readily. It had never happened to the likes of him before. Usually, it was the bastard Uchiha that had all the attention. Well, that part might have changed ever since Sasuke betrayed Konoha. But still, two years ago, he would have never seen this coming.

"Besides," Ami continued, cutting his thoughts, "I'll probably never walk again. I can't go to the Academy and redo my lessons; I can't train to become a kunoichi. I'm lucky to be alive, okay? At least give me this."

"It's still not fair," Naruto argued.

Ami shook her head, a bit disappointed in his vehemence. "You better not be bringing this subject up because you pity me. You never pitied me before, and it would upset me if you started now."

"No! It's not because I pity you! I-I…I love you too…and I just want you to be safe."

A devilish grin spread on the young girl's face. "Naruto-kun, that's the first time, in a _long_ time, you've told me that you love me. Does that mean we can get married when we're older now?"

"Ahh…"

Ami laughed at the look on his face. It was absolutely priceless. "That wasn't the answer I was looking for!"

Even if she was teasing him, it still made him feel a tad discomfort. He should have been used to her antics by now, but she still affected him in ways that were both pleasurable and cringe-worthy.

"Its fine, Naruto-kun. We can wait until we're older…Or do you not want to anymore?"

"I definitely want to!" he sputtered. A part of it was just nervousness, the other part…

Well, he _was_ _in love_ with her, that was true, but it was still alien territory. He didn't want to make a mistake somewhere. He had enough of people ignoring his existence.

Ami gave him a warm smile. "Nice save, lover boy."

Once they finished breakfast, she took their dishes to the kitchen.

She turned and gave him and impish glare. "You better get to the training grounds before Forehead Girl comes here and screams her head off…again. And didn't the old pervert say something about seeing you today?"

Naruto nodded his head after gulping audibly. Remembering that embarrassing moment with Sakura didn't exactly bode well for his coolness under pressure.

He said a quick goodbye and left for his intended missions, hurriedly closing the door.

When she was sure he was gone, Ami allowed herself a whimsical sigh.

"Airhead," she giggled. "But you gotta love him."

She tended to the dishes. It took her little time to reminisce on the past.

 **Flashback.**

 _I was just like them all. I believed what was fed to me: that he was a demon._

 _It wasn't hard for me to agree with them. I mean, my Dad wouldn't dare lie to his own daughter, right?_

 _Growing up was never easy. My mother died in the Kyuubi Attack…I knew very little about it. No one really conversed on the subject openly. The Adults were especially cautious around us kids._

 _I was told by a lot of people that my dad was a great and kind person. My mother's death must have destroyed who he was, because I_ _ **never**_ _saw I kind individual as a guardian._

 _He drank a lot, and had violent outbursts…He even…hit me a few times, but even then, I never stopped loving him._

 _I guess anyone can become nasty when exposed to such ill-nurture, and I was no different. I grew up to be rowdy, rough, and ill-behaved. I was as bad as my father in a sense, and I knew that, but I never tried to change._

 _I wasn't a girly-girl like most of them. I wasn't interested in looking pretty or trying to attract the next hottest boy like the rest of them. I felt I was above everyone else. I had a little thing for Sasuke though, but looking back, it felt more like me trying to fit in, no matter how much I **still** deny it._

 _I wanted to have real friends to count on like everyone else, but people were afraid of me, and I grew desperate. So I did the only thing I could: I became a bully._

 _That was an easy **and** stupid move, because it worked, but the power I had felt so tainted and tasted bitter. Fuki and Kasumi never really stayed around because they wanted to. I could be a real bitch sometimes and my attitude could get me what I wanted through fear. I felt like it was too late for me to reform, however, so I stuck to picking on people._

 _Naruto…The Demon Brat._

 _I feel bad saying this now, but picking on him was a lot easier than anyone else. It was okay because even the adults_ _ **supported**_ _it. I never understood why (How could I when those old farts were so secretive?), but I wasn't about to question it._

 _I called him horrible things. I spread rumours about him committing disgusting crimes. I was_ _ **really**_ _close to ostracising him from our younger peers who were in the Academy. It was mostly my fault that he never had friends. People already feared him, and I added a lot of gasoline to that fire._

 _The thing is, he never defended himself. He never fought back the accusations. He just had those empty eyes that looked through me, like I didn't exist. One time, staring into those azure irises forced a shiver out of me. Yeah, seriously, I'm not made out of stone, you know?_

 _I didn't believe he wore a mask until that day._

 _Our parents were fetching us from school, and I saw Naruto on a swing. The normally hyperactive moron wasn't pretending to be happy and stupid like usual. No one was coming for him, and I even heard the adults whispering mean things about him. It confused me, but I really could care less as a whole._

 _That's just how things were. He was the loser and I was the 'popular' girl. I was going to be Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha and no one was going to stop me._

 _Until that day._

 _October tenth, the anniversary of the Kyuubi's decimation, my mother's death._

 _My Dad got particularly drunk (He always did on that day). When he got home, he was touchy, agitated. I knew what he was like when he had too much intake, so I wisely hid in my room, prepared to deal with his mangled mess the next day._

 _But it seemed that October ten was a misery for a number of reasons._

 _The next thing I knew, he left the house._

 _I looked out of my window and saw my dad, along with two other men, making for a random direction._

 _I never saw him act so erratically on a day where he would just drink his pain away, so being the nosey person I was, I followed him. I never knew it would change my life forever._

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


End file.
